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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions 


Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  b;bliographique8 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Feaf;>res  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


0    Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


D 


Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


I I    Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pellicul^e 


D 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


D 
D 

D 


D 


□ 


Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Be\\6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  fiim^es. 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 


D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


I — I    Pages  damaged/ 


D 


D 


Pages  endommagies 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxet 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tachees 


I — I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
rTl    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
I      I    Pages  detached/ 


BShowthrough/ 
Transparence 


Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 


I      I    Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmdes  &  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


The 
to  t 


The 
pos 
oft 
filn- 


Orii 
bej 
the 
sioi 
oth 
firs 
sioi 
or  i 


Th« 
shs 
Tl^ 
wh 

Ma 
difl 
ent 
be{ 
rigl 
req 
me 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

./ 

12X                             16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thi^.iks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film6  ^ut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g^n^rositi  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  besv  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  cumpte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  I'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim^e  sont  film^s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  u'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  tt,]le 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ♦>  (meaning   "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symhole  — »■  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  difft&rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film^  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

A   PAPER  READ  BEFORE   THE 

British  Associatio7i  for  the  Advance7nent  of  Science. 

MONTREAL   MEETING,   1884. 


THE  FISHERIES  OF  CANADA 


By  L.  Z.  JONCAS, 


Lommissioner  to  the  London  Fisheriti  Exhibition^  Sheriff'  of  Gaspe,  Quebec. 


"  The  late  Professor  Spencer  F.  Baird  once  told  me  that  the  quantity  offish  taken  from 
the  ocean  for  the  supply  of  human  wants  ivas  literally  no  more  than  equal  to  a  drop  in  a  bucket 
of  water,  compared  to  tlu  multiiudu  offish  which  the  vtultitndinous  seas  stand  ready  to  gizie  up 
t»  our  use.  Could  these  fish  be  diverted  in  the  water  from  the  shores  if  Canada  to  the  harbors 
of  New  England,  should  we  erect  a  barrier  at  the  mouth  of  every  harbor  to  prevent  thcin  from 
entering  at  full  measure  ?  If  not,  why  do  we  erect  a  barrier  to  prevent  their  being  brought  upon 
the  water t" — Edward  Atkinson. 

"  The  commercial  products  obtained  from  the  sea  are  more  numerous  and  important  than 
would  be  generally  supposed  by  those  wlio  have  not  looked  closely  into  the  matter.  *♦**•' 
The  sea  is  more  abundantly  stocked  with  living  creatures  than  the  land.  It  is  filled  with  animals 
of  several  kinds,  ami  each  layer  of  water  in  depth,  seem.'  to  have  its  own  varieties,  thus  resem- 
bling the  changes  which  take  place,  according  to  elevation,  tn  the  organized  portion  of  the  lafid. 
The  animals  are  among  the  mightiest  and  among  the  smallest." — P.  L.  Simmons,  "Commercial 
Products  of  the  Sea." 


co£t<cjy^£ixiciA.iL.   xjjsTiojsr   2300XJ2s-a:B3srT   isro.  e. 


NEW    YORK: 
ERASTUS    WIMAN.    314   BROADWAY. 


CANADA 


NATIONAL  LIBRARY 


BIBLIOTHEQUE  NATIONALE 


/ 


.■#!/' 


nU' 


.-<' 


{^  y  W    PAPER  READ  HE  FORE   THE 

British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 


MONTREAL   MEETISU,    1884. 


THE  FISHERIES  OF  CANADA 


By   L.  Z.  JONCAS, 

Commissioiur  to  the  London  Fisheries  Exhibition,  Sheriff" of  Gaspc,  Quebec. 


"  The  late  Professor  Stem  ek  F.  II.mki)  once  told  nie  that  the  quantity  offish  taken  from 
the  ocean  for  the  supply  of  human  wants  ',vas  literally  no  more  than  Cipial  to  a  drop  in  a  hucket 
of  water,  compared  to  the  multitude  of  fish  whii  h  the  multitudinous  seas  stand  ready  to  i^ive  up 
t»  our  use.  Ct'uld  these  fsh  be  diverted  in  the  \v.\ri:Ky>(V//  the  shores  of  Canada  to  the  harbors 
of  Xe'M  England,  should  we  erect  a  barrier  at  the  vicuth  of  every  harbor  to  prevent  them  from 
entering  at  full  measure  ?  If  not,  ivhy  do  wc  erect  a  barrier  to  prevent  their  being  brought  ri'ON 
i/ie  water  f" — Edward  Atkinson. 

"  The  commercial  products  obtained  from  the  sea  are  more  numerous  and  important  than 
would  be  generally  supposed  by  those  who  hax-e  not  looked  closely  into  the  matter.  •  •  *  *  « 
'The  sea  is  more  abundantly  stocked  with  living  creatures  than  the  land.  It  is  filled  with  animals 
of  several  kinds,  and  each  layer  of  water  m  deph,  seems  to  have  its  o7on  varieties,  thus  resem- 
bling the  changes  which  take  place,  according  to  elevation,  in  the  organized  portion  if  the  land. 
'The  animals  are  among  the  mightiest  and  among  the  smallest." — I'.  I..  Simmons,  "  CoimncrciaL 
I'roJucts  of  the  Sea." 


-»-♦-♦■ 


NEW     YORK: 
ERASTUS    WIMAN.    314   BROADWAY. 


O  \  \  C  ' 


.  2_ 


/icSKitiBi^HIKa 


No. 
as  ( 
ari: 
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o/i 
of  ^ 
Sci 
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ciiit 
the 
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of. 
gre 


///  view  of  the  interest  manifiStcd  in  the  (juestion  of  Coniincnial  Union  of 
North  Anurica,  and  tlu  important  place  -ohieh  the  Fisheries  of  Canada  oeeupy, 
as  a  part  of  that  question  ;  and  also  their  relation  to  the  eoinpUeations  -<ohieh  hare 
arisen  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  and  Canada,  an  intellii^ent 
description  of  the  Canadian  Fisheries  will  l>e  an  impoitant  addition  to  the  litfrnture 
pf  the  hour.  This  is  happily  found  in  the  contribution  by  Mr.  SilKKlJ-K  JON'CAS, 
of  Gaspe,  (Jiiebec,  to  the  papers  of  the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  which  is  submitted  herewith.  The  simplicity  and  iutelli-enee  of  the 
paper  is  only  exceeded  by  its  comptehensiveness. 

If,  amonj;  the  man  v  great  benefits  which  would  follow  in  the  train  of  Commer- 
cial Union,  Jrec  access  could  be  had  to  the  vast  fishery  wealth  of  the  Dominion  by 
the  people  of  the  United  States,  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  a  market 
be  created  for  this  important  asset  in  the  wealth  of  Canada,  whereby  the  products 
of  the  sea  could  be  made  more  available,  the  sustentation  of  human  life  could  be 
greatly  cheapened,  and  a  mcst  beneficial  result  weuld  le  achieved. 


THE   FISHERIES  OF  CANADA. 


By  L.  Z,  JONCAS,  Sheriff  of  Gaspe,  Quebec. 


I.  Extent  of  Canadian  Fisheries. 


I  am  not  afraid  of  saying  too  much,  when  I  assert  that  the 
Dominion  of  Canada  owns  the  largest  and  the  richest  fisheries  in  the 
world.  "As  a  national  possession,"  says  the  Hon.  Peter  Mitchell, 
who  was  our  Minister  of  Marine  and  Fisheries  in  1870,  "they  are 
inestimable  ;  and,  as  a  field  for  industry  and  enterprise  they  are 
inexhaustible.  Besides  their  general  importance  to  the  country  as 
a  source  of  maritime  wealth  and  commerce,  they  also  possess  a 
special  value  to  the  inhabitants.  The  great  variety  and  superior 
quality  of  the  fish  products  of  the  sea  and  inland  waters  of  Canada 
afford  a  nutritious  and  economical  food,  admirably  adapted  to  the 
domestic  wants  of  a  mixed  and  laborious  population.  They  are 
also  in  other  respects  specially  valuable  to  such  of  our  people  as 
are  engaged  in  maritime  pursuits,  either  as  a  distinct  industry  or 
combined  with  agriculture.  The  principal  localities  in  which  fish- 
ing is  carried  on,  do  not  usually  present  conditions  favorable  to 
husbandry.  They  are  limited  in  extent  and  fertility,  and  are  sub- 
ject to  certain  climatic  disadvantages.  The  prolific  nature  of  the 
adjacent  waters,  and  the  convenience  of  their  undisturbed  use,  are 
a  necessary  compensation  for  defects  of  soil  and  climate.  On  such 
grounds  alone,  the  sea  and  inland  fisheries  to  which  British  subjects 
have  claims  on  this  continent  are  of  peculiar  value." 

To  this  statement  of  one  of  our  most  prominent  public  men,  I 
will  merely  add  a  few  words,  to  show  more  clearly  what  an  immense 
field  is  opened  by  our  fisheries,  not  only  for  the  industry  of  our  own 
population,  but  for  the  enterprise  of  our  neighbors,  a  field  capable 
of  sustaining  three  or  four  times  as  large  a  population  as  that  of 
Canada  at  the  present  moment.  Canada  is  equal  in  extent  to  the 
republic  of  the  United  States;  it  is  almost  as  large  as  the  whole  con- 
tinent of  Europe ;  that  is  to  say,  it  contains  about  one-fourteenth  of 


THE  FlsnEtllES  OF  (AyAD.t. 


the  land  ol  the  world.  IJoundcd  hy  three  oceans,  it  has,  besides  its 
nr.nierotis  inland  seas,  over  5,500  miles  of  sea  eoast,  washed  by 
waters  abounding  in  the  nnjst  valuable  fishes  of  all  kinds.  Setting 
asiile  for  the  moment  the  3,000  miles  of  sea  coast  in  Hritish  Colum- 
bia, and  the  immense  inland  seas  of  the  great  Northwest  Territory, — 
the  richness  of  which  has  not  been  properly  utilized,  and  is  not  yet 
well  known, — we  have,  in  the  old  Provinces  of  the  Confederation, 
2,500  miles  of  sea  coast,  and  inland  seas  covering  an  area  of  122 
square  miles  ;  besides  a  considerable  number  of  lakes  of  smaller 
extent,  and  many  important  rivers,  teeming  with  varieties  of  fishes 
of  great  commercial  value. 

From  whatever  j)oi.nt  of  view  wc  may  regard  them,  the  teeming 
waters  of  the  Hritish  American  pcjssessions,  and  those  which  form 
their  great  lakes  and  magnificent  rivers,  must  be  reckoned  as  a  na- 
tional i)roperty,  richer  and  more  perpetual  than  any  mere  estimate 
in  money  can  exjjress.  **It  is  in  the  highest  degree  satisfying," 
observes  the  lion.  Peter  Mitchell,  in  his  above  mentione/i  Report, 
"  to  find  that  Canadians  are  becoming  every  year  more  and  more 
alive  to  the  vast  importance  of  their  fisheries,  and  that  they  are 
now  more  than  ever  anxious  to  preserve  them  as  the  finest  material 
j)ortion  of  our  colonial  heritage." 

The  fact  of  foreign  nations  having  always  clung  with  tenacity  to 
every  right  and  common  liberty  which  they  have  been  enabled  to 
secure  in  these  fisheries,  and  the  eagerness  which  foreigners  manifest 
to  establish  themselves  in  the  actual  use  of  such  extensive  and 
lucrative  privileges,  constituting  the  best  extrinsic:  evidence  of  the 
wide-spreading  influence  of  their  possession,  and  the  strongest 
testimony  to  their  industrial  and  c;ommercial  worth. 

II.  \'alue  of  Canadian  Fisheries. 

I  may,  perhaps,  be  asked,  whether  the  richness  and  the  value  of 
the  Canadian  fisheries  are  in  proportion  to  their  extent.  Our 
fisheries,  on  account  of  the  insufficienc:y  of  our  i)opulation,  are 
far  from  having  ac(piired  all  the  development  of  which  they  are 
capable  ;  their  annual  yield,  however,  if  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  number  of  men  actively  and  regularly  employed  in 
working  them,  and  compare  them  with  foreign  fisheries  of  the 
same  nature,  proves  that  they  are  the  richest  and  the  most  pro- 
ductive in   the  whole  world.     As  our  population  grows,   and  as 


VALiK  or  (AyAiHAy  ii  sunn  ins. 


S  Its 

ti  l>y 

ting 
iim- 

y.— 

yet 
ion^ 

122 

aller 
shes 


we  are  aide  to  devote  more  attention  to  this  industry,  the  in- 
crease in  the  value  of  our  fisheries  w  ill  be  proportionately  very 
great. 

Professor  Brown  (loodc,  American  Commissioner  at  the  London 
Fisheries  ICxhibition  in  1S83,  in  one  of  his  speeches  at  the  Fishery 
Congress  in  connection  with  the  I^xhibition,  referred  to  the  im- 
mense growth  of  the  Canadian  fisheries,  during  the  last  ten  years. 
Me  declared  that  in  the  course  of  his  own  studies,  he  had  occasion 
each  year  to  |>eruse  the  Canadian  rejtorts,  and  had  been  "  j»erfectly 
amazed  "  at  the  rapidity  with  which  this  industry  had  been  de- 
veloi'ed.  In  fact,  if  we  consult  the  statistics  so  carefully  collected 
every  year  by  our  fishery  officers,  these  official  figures  will  show 
that  the  value  of  the  Canadian  fisheries,  which  in  1870  was  only 
$7,573,oco,  had  doubled  during  the  succeeding  ten  years,  and 
amounted  in  18.S0  to  $14,500,000.  And  if  we  open  tl>e  last  official 
Report,  published  by  the  Depaitinent  of  Marine  and  Fisheries,  we 
shall  see  that  the  same  fisheries  produced  in  18.S3  the  sum  of  $17,- 
500,000,  representing  an  increase  in  value  of  tlirt-e  millions  of  dol- 
lars in  three  years. 

.Although  our  system  of  inspection  is  effective,  although  the 
organization  of  the  outside  servi(  e  of  our  Department  of  Marine 
and  I'isheries,  and  our  method  of  collecting  fisher\  statistics,  are 
given  as  models  to  other  countries,  yet  they  are  susceptible  of 
many  im|)rovements.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  in  such  an  ex- 
tensive ccKintry  as  Canada,  where  every  settler  has  facilities  tor 
'Ishing,  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  our  statisticians  to  impart  a 
mathematical  i)recision  to  their  Reports,  or  to  give  ac(  uratcly  the 
\alue  of  the  home  consumption.         ***** 

The  returns  of  the  total  catch  in  the  Island  of  Cape  IJreton,  we 
hear  from  good  authority,  are  much  below  the  actual  figures. 
The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  Nova  Scotia,  New  Hrunswick, 
Quebec,  and  British  Columbia,  where  the  value  of  the  fisheries  is 
certainly  not  accurately  rei)resented  by  the  figures  given. 

The  $17,500,000,  iuentioned  above  as  the  valu-i  of  the  Canadian 
fisheries  in  18S3,  cannot  therefore  be  anything  else  than  the  value 
of  the  fish  prepared  for  exportation  or  sold  on  the  Canadian 
markets.  In  that  amount  cannot  be  included  the  $5,000,000,  the 
approximate  value  of  the  fish  caught  and  consumed  by  the  native 
population  of  Manitoba  and  British  Columbia.     And  in  the  other 


8 


THE  FISHERIES  OF  CANADA. 


provinces  of  the  Dominion,  with  a  population  of  over  4,000,000 
inhabitants,  for  T/hom  fish  is  one  of  the  principal  articles  of  diet, 
the  estimated  value  of  the  fish  consumed  is  $12,000,000.  If, 
therefore,  we  add  together  the  value  of  the  fish  cured  for  the  trade, 
and  that  of  the  fish  captured  for  local  consumption,  we  have,  for 
1883,  a  grand  total  of  $34,500,000.  These  figures  speak  for  them- 
selves, and  give  an  idea  of  the  immense  richness  of  the  Canadian 
waters. 

(ireat  Britain  and  the  United  States,  like  Canada,  have  very 
extensive  and  very  productive  fisheries;  and  by  way  of  further 
demonstration  of  the  richness  of  our  waters,  we  may  draw  a  com- 
parison between  their  products  and  those  of  the  Canadian  fisheries. 
We  have  in  Canada  50,000  men  regularly  employed  in  the  fisheries. 
Their  labor,  as  shown  by  the  last  official  returns,  has  produced 
$17,500,000,  or  $350  for  each  fisherman.  Great  Britain,  for  the 
working  of  her  fisheries,  employs  113,640  men,  and  their  labour, 
according  to  the  figures  given  by  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  in  his 
very  interesting  essay  on  the  British  fisheries,  produces  annually 
615,000  tons  of  fish,  representing  a  value  of  $35,000,000,  or  $308 
for  every  fisherman ;  showing  a  difference  in  favor  of  the  Cana- 
dian fisheries  of  $42  for  each  fisherman. 

The  statistics  of  1882  show  that  132,000  men  were  employed  in 
the  fisheries  of  the  United  States.  The  labor  of  these  men  pro- 
duced $44,500,000,  or  $337  for  each  man,  yielding  a  difference,  in 
favor  of  the  Canadian  fisheries  over  those  of  the  United  States, 
of  $13  for  every  fisherman.  It  may  be  here  observed  that  no  in- 
considerable portion  of  the  fish  taken  by  the  United  States  fisher- 
men has  been  caught  in  the  Canadian  waters. 

It  must  be  added  that,  in  this  comparison,  I  put  aside  3,000 
miles  of  sea-coast  on  the  Pacific  ocean,  the  richness  of  which  is 
still  unknown  to  us  and  for  which  we  have  no  statistics;  because 
this  vast  field,  as  well  as  the  numerous  inland  seas  flowing  towards 
the  Arctic  ocean,  could  not,  for  want  of  hands,  be  worked  till  now. 
We  have  statistics  for  about  one-half  of  the  extent  of  our  fisheries, 
and  it  is  that  half  only  which  is  here  compared  ^ith  the  whole 
fisheries  of  Great  Britain  and  of  the  United  States.  It  must  also 
be  noted,  that  on  account  of  the  severity  of  our  climate,  our  fish- 
eries can  only  be  worked  during  about  seven  months  of  the  year, 
while  the  American  and  Englishman  fish  all  the  year  round;  so 


VALVE  OF  CASADIAS  FISHERIES. 


9 


that  the  Canadian  fisherman  earns,  in  seven  months,  $42  more  than 
the  English  fisherman,  and  $13  more  than  the  fisherman  of  the 
United  States,  both  of  whom  work  from  January  to  December. 

What  I  have  just  said,  is  a  sufficient  justification  of  my  assertion, 
that  the  Canadian  fisheries  are  the  richest  in  the  world.  And  yet, 
in  this  comparison,  I  have  said  nothing  of  the  perfection  of  the 
fishing  implements  used  by  the  fishermen  of  the  neighbouring  Re- 
public and  of  Great  Ikitain.  Nor  have  I  mentioned  the  large 
sums  spent  by  them  in  the  building  of  continually  improved  fishing 
crafts,  or  of  the  millions  expended  by  their  Governments  in  the 
buildings  of  piers,  break-waters  or  other  improvements  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  fishing  industry.  In  1882,  besides  al)Out  1,000  decked 
vessels,  the  total  tonnage  of  which  was  not  more  than  40,000  tons, 
we  had  to  work  our  sea-fisheries  with  nothing  else  but  small  open 
boats,  well  made,  solid  built,  good  sailers,  perhaps  the  best  of  their 
class;  but  with  which  our  fishermen,  although  hardy  and  skilful, 
cannot  venture  very  far  out  at  sea,  cannot  follow  the  fish  in  its  fre- 
quent migrations,  and,  in  conse([uence,  cannot  give  to  our  fisheries 
all  the  extension  of  which  they  are  capable.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  American  fishing  fleet  numbers,  besides  many  thousand  smaller 
boats,  6,000  schooners  of  209,000  tonnage  ;  and  the  British  fishing 
fleet  is  composed  of  33,000  vessels;  most  of  them  of  large  size,  and 
many  of  them  steamboats.  No  necessary  expense  is  considered 
too  large  by  the  fish  merchants  and  ship-owners  of  those  countries, 
and  their  fishermen,  manning  convenient  and  safe  boats,  can  follow 
the  fish  everywhere. 

The  English  and  United  States  Governments,  and  the  capitalists 
of  those  countries,  understanding  what  an  important  contribution 
their  fisheries  are  to  the  national  wealth,  encourage  by  every  pos- 
sible means  those  who  carry  on  that  industry.  Fishery  Bureaux, 
headed  by  their  most  eminent,  influential,  and  practical  men,  are 
formed  to  seek  for  the  best  means  of  rendering  their  fisheries  more 
and  more  productive.  Notwithstanding  all  these  encouragements, 
the  statistics  prove  that  the  fisheries  of  Canada  are  more  produc- 
tive than  those  of  Great  Britain  or  America. 

I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  state  that,  owing  to  the  encouragement 
lately  given  by  our  public  men,  the  building  of  Canadian  fishing 
crafts  has  progressed  rapidly.  The  swift  schooners  of  our  Mari- 
time Provinces,  cm  already  compete  fairly  with  American  fishing 


10 


THE  FISIIEIUES  OF  CAXAVA. 


vessels,  reputed  the  best  of  their  class  in  the  world.  Steamers, 
which  are  now  used  in  the  fisheries  on  our  lakes,  will  doubtless  be 
seen  soon  among  the  vessels  used  for  the  working  of'our  most  im- 
portant sea  fisheries.  Considerable  sums  of  money  are  spent  every 
year,  by  our  Government,  on  the  Iniilding  of  harbors  of  refuge 
and  of  lighthouses  for  the  guidance  of  the  fishermen.  Last  year 
$150,000  were  paid  to  our  fishermen,  and  if  our  public  men  are 
willing  t(!  continue  to  help  the  advancement  of  an  industry,  which 
for  the  future  of  the  Dominion  is  so  highly  necessary  and  impor- 
tant, we  may  hoi)e  that,  in  the  near  future,  we  shall  have  no  reason 
to  envy  our  brothers  beyond  the  sea,  or  our  rich  neighbors. 

*"J'he  incalculable  importance,"  says  a  writer  in  the  Montreal 
Gazete,'^oi  such  invaluable  fisheries  in  colonization,  in  the  de- 
v'ilopment  o?  commerce,  in  adding  to  the  country's  food  produce 
for  home  consumption,  and  for  the  training  of  skilled  seamen  for 
naval  and  merchant  marine,  are  ])oirts  whi:h  the  histories  of  all 
great  maritime  nations  amply  demonstrate.  The  histories  of 
France,  Holland,  and  Great  Bnttam  are  striking  illustrations  of 
the  vast  national  benefits  derived  from  the  prosecution  of  sea 
fisheries.  What  but  the  rough  experience  of  British  fishermen  in 
prosecuting  their  labors  on  one  of  the  roughest  coasts  of  the  world, 
has  made  the  skill  and  bravery  of  British  seamen,  at  once  the 
admiration  of  all  nations,  and  the  dread  of  their  foes.  It  is  rough 
experience  that  makes  a  sailor,  and  it  is  Jos';  such  experience  that 
has  enabled  the  seamen  of  the  Maritime  Provinces  of  Canada  to 
take  a  first  place  for  skill  and  coolness  among  their  fellow  subjects 
of  the  British  Isles." 

III.  A  Question. 

The  cpiestion  here  arises:  Would  not  the  Canadian  fisheries  soon 
1)6  exhausted  if  they  were  worked  on  a  much  larger  scab.;  nd 
would  it  be  wise  to  sink  a  larger  amount  of  capital  in  their  im- 
provement ?  It  seems  to  be  admitted  by  all  those  who  have  made 
a  special  study  of  this  important  question,  that  fresh-water  fishe- 
ries, such  as  salmon,  trout,  white-fish,  etc.,  and  also  the  sea  shell 
fisheries,  such  as  oysters  and  lobsters,  can  be,  with  time,  exhausted 
by  indiscriminate  fishing.  This  is  generally  understood,  and  our 
inland  fisheries,  i)rotected  1)>'  wise  regulations,  will  continue  for 
years  to  come  to  enrich  those  who  work  them. 


teainers, 
)tless  be 
nost  im- 
;nt  every 
f  refuge 
ast  year 
men  are 
y,  which 
1  impor- 
()  reason 

Montreal 
I  the  de- 
produce 
mien  for 
es  of  all 
tories  of 
ations  of 
1  of  sea 
ermen  in 
he  world, 
once  the 
is  rough 
ince  that 
anadi  to 
subjects 


ries  soon 
ale;  nd 
heir  ini- 
ve  made 
er  fishe- 
sea  shell 
chausted 
and  our 
inue  for 


A  QUESTION. 


11 


As  to  those  fishes,  which,  like  cod,  mackerel,  herring,  etc.,  are 
the  most  important  of  our  sea  fishes;  which  form  the  largest  quota 
of  our  fish  exports  and  are  generally  called  commercial  fishes, — 
without  going  so  far  as  to  pretend  that  protection  would  be  useless 
to  them, — I  say  that  it  is  impossible,  not  merely  to  exhaust  them, 
but  even  noticeably  to  lessen  their  number  by  the  means  now  used 
for  their  capture,  especially  if,  protecting  them  during  the  si)awning 
seasons,  we  are  contented  to  fish  them  from  their  feeding  grounds. 
For  the  last  three  hundred  years,  fishing  has  gone  on  in  the  Ciulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  and  along  the  coast  of  our  Maritime  Provinces,  and 
although  enormous  quantities  of  fish  have  been  caught,  there  are 
no  indications  of  exhaustion. 

In  England,  a  Royal  Commi>sion,  under  the  presidency  of  Pro- 
fessor Huxley,  and  comi)Osed  of  the  most  eminent  learnetl  men  of 
the  United  Kingdom,  have  n  ade  a  serious  antl  thorough  study  of 
this  (juestion,  and  these  gentlemen  declare  that,  notwithstanding 
the  enormous  and  continually  increasing  i[uantilies  of  fish  caught 
annually  along  the  coasts  of  Grei-t  Britain,  the  English  fisheries 
show  no  sign  of  exhaustion.  In  presence  of  these  facts,  and 
relying  on  the  reports  and  studies  of  many  eminent  and  ])ra(Ucal 
men,  we  may  infer  that,  unless  the  order  of  nature  is  overthrown, 
for  centuries  to  come  our  fisheries  will  continue  to  be  fertile  and 
productive. 

Messrs.  Hatton  and  Hervey,  in  their  interesting  "  History  of 
Newfoundland,"  say:  "The  Arctic  current  which,  washes  the  coasts 
of  Labrador,  Newfoundland,  Canada  and  part  of  the  United  States, 
chilling  the  atmosphere,  and  bearing  on  its  boson  huge  icc-argosies, 
is  the  source  of  the  vast  fish-wealth  which  has  been  drawn  <  n  for 
ages,  and  which  promises  to  continue  for  ages  to  come.  Wanting 
this  cold  river  in  the  ocean,  the  cod,  seals,  herring,  mackerel, 
halibut,  etc.,  which  now  crowd  the  northern  seas,  would  be  entirely 
absent.  The  great  fishing  interests  are  thus  as  dejjendent  on  the 
Arctic  current  as  the  farming  interests  on  the  rain  and  sunshine 
which  ripens  the  crops."  Thee  writers  add  that  "  the  cold  current 
brings  with  it  the  food  on  which  these  fish  thrive,  and  the  supply  is 
one  tJiat  can  never  fail." 

The  Arctic  seas,  and  the  great  rivers  which  they  send  forth, 
swarm  with  minute  forms  of  life,  constituting,  according  to  Pro- 
fessor Hind,  in  many  places  a  living  mass,  a  vast  ocean  of  living 


in 


THE  FISHERIES  OF  CANADA. 


t( 


slime.     The  all-prevading  life,  which  exists  there,  affords  the  trifle  "^° 
solution  of  the  problem  which  has  so  often  presented  itself  tl^^^*  °| 
those  engaged  in  the  sea  fisheries,  viz.,  the  source  of  the  foof*^  ^"^ 
which   gives   sustenance   to    the    countless   millions  of   fish   ihi^^  ^^ 
«warm  upon  the  coasts  of    Labrador  and    Newfoundland  and  i|emin 
the  Dominion  and  United  States  waters.       Dr.  Brown  has  showl  ^^^ 
that  the  presence  of  this  slime,  spread  over  one  hundred  thousan»>^^^  ° 
square  miles,  provides  food  for  myriads  of  birds  that  frequent  th^^^  ^ 
Arctic  seas  in  the  summer,  and  also  furnishes   sustenance  to  thy^'^'-^ 
largest  marine  animals  up  to  the  giant  whale.     By  far  the  largest ^^P^ 
area  of  this  cold  water  subtends  the  coasts  of  the  British  America^''  ^"^ 
Provinces  within  the  hundred  fathom  line  of  soundings.      It  i*^  ^° 
computed  that  while  the  cold  water  area  subtending  the  Unitew*^^^"^^ 

•  ■     «        ill  Vll 

States  is  about  45,000  square  miles,  that  subtending  the  Britisl'l^^^^'^^ 
American  shores  is  200,000  square  miles.      To  this  fact  is  trace(#^*^^- 
the  superior  value  of  the  fisheries  of  British  North  America.  utmost 

The  old  theory  regarding  the  extended  migrations  of  the  cod*^^^ 
the  herring,  etc.,  to  the  Arctic  or  other  distant  regions  and  backf^*^^»  ^ 
is  now  entirely  exploded.  These  fishes  are  known  to  be  local  ir 
their  habits,  and  to  be  confined  to  a  limited  area  in  their  move- 
ments. These  are  governed  by  the  presence  or  absence  of  food.  Of  a 
their  spawning  instincts,  and  the  temperature  of  the  water.  Thethe  co 
law  which  governs  fish  life  is,  that  they  return  to  the  place  ofmen,  a 
their  birth  for  reproductive  purposes.  Hence,  all  round  the  coast  one  of 
there  are,  at  different  places,  what  may  be  called  colonies  of  fish,  the  lev 
differing  from  each  other,  and  each  having  a  range  of  movement  The 
from  the  deep  to  the  shallower  waters  and  vice  versa.  To  the  prepai 
spot  where  the  young  first  issued  from  the  ovum  they  return,  senlin 
when  mature,  to  repeat  the  story  of  their  birth.  Further,  in  pas-  lbs.  of 
sing  from  the  spawning  grounds  to  the  deeper  waters  where  they  gt  $2 
spend  the  winter,  the  cod  and  other  fish  follow  a  definite  line  of  fellow 
migration,  and  generally  the  shortest  and  most  direct  route.  Thus 
the  fishes  taken  along  any  stretch  of  coast  line,  are  really  indi- 
genous to  the  adjacent  sea  area. 


IV,  Our  most  important  Fishng  Grounds. 

The  fisheries  of  Canada  may  be  divided  into  two  great  classes  : 
the  deep-sea   fisheries ;    and  the   fresh-water,    or  lake   and   river 


■r. 

\ 

I 


N 

Q 

N 
P 


Tl 


fisheries.      We  shall  give  the  precedence  to  the  former  as  being   %^^^ 


OUR  MOST  IMPORTAST  FISHING  GROUNDS. 


I'i 


affords  the  trJc  most  important.     Only  about  one-half  of  our  five  thousand 
sented  itself  titles  of  sea  coast  has  till  now  been  properly  worked.     We  do 

e  of  the  foo'Pt  know  yet  all  the  riches  of  the  British  Colombia  waters,  but 
IS  of  fish  thi'l's  can  infer,  from  reading  the  official  report,  that  they  are 
indland  and  ifc^ing  with  a  great  variety  of  commercial  fishes, 
own  has  showi  Our  most  important  deep-sta  fishing-grounds  are  the  Atlantic 
dred  thousan^*^^^  ^^  Nova  Scotia,  from  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  around  the  southern 
at  frequent  thl^'■^  around  the  coasts  of  Cape  Breton,  New  Brunswick  and 
tenance  to  thl^ince  Edward  Island  ;  embracing  the  Bay  of  Chaleurs  and  the 
far  the  largesl^^^pe  coast,  and  extending  to  the  Island  of  Anticosti,  the  Labra- 
itish  Americaifor  and  the  Magdalen  Islands.  "There  is  probably  no  part  of 
ndings.  It  i*e  world,"  says  P.  L.  Simmons,  in  his  valuable  work  on  the 
ng  the  UnitecfOmmercial  Products  of  the  Sea,  "where  such  extensive  and 
ng  the  BritisHi|aluable  fisheries  are  to  be  found  as  within  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
fact  is  trace(*^wce.  Nature  has  bountifully  provided  within  its  waters  the 
merica.  ittmost  abundance  of  those  fishes  which  are  of  the  greatest  import- 

is  of  the  cod*^ce   to   man,  as   affording   not   only  nutritious   and   wholesome 
ons  and  back^^od,  but  also  the  means  of  profitable  employment." 
to  be  local  ir 

in  their  move-  ^'-    ^^""^  ^°°  Fishery. 

sence  of  food,     Of  all  the  deep-sea  fisheries  of  Canada,  the   most  important  is 

water.     Thethe  cod   fishery,    which   furnishes   employment   to    thousands   of 
tne  place  of  men,  and  contributes  most  largely  to  our  exportation  trade.      It  is 
Lind  the  coast  one  of  the  leading  industries  in  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and 
onies  of  fish,  the  lowest  part  of  the  Province  of  Quebec. 

ot  movement  ^he  quantity  of  codfish  taken  l)y  the  Canadian  fishermen,  and 
'rsa.  To  the  prepared  for  the  trade  last  year,  was  1,611,596  ([uintals,  repre- 
they  return,  senting  a  value  of  $6,366,000.  To  this  must  be  added  245,453 
rtner,  m  pas-  IJ^s.  of  cod  and  hake  sounds,  and  333.310  gallons  of  cod  oil,  valued 
5  where  they  gt  $225,555  ;  making  a  grand  total  of  $6,591,555,  divided  as 
mnite  line  of  |cllows  between  the  different  Maritime  Provinces  : — 
route.    Thus 

:  really  indi-   I  ^°^^  ^'^°^'^' -       -  $3,977,599 

;•  Quebec, 1,778,290 

A  New  Brunswick,    -         -         - 716,496 

_                        Jl  Prince  Edward  Islan<l, 119,170 

reat  classes  :  f  S6.591.555 

!   and   river    I    The  cod  appears  on  the   Canadian  coasts  at  uncertain  dates, 
ler  as  being    generally  between  the  middle  of  May  and  the  beginning  of  June, 


14 


nil-:  FISllKRIKS  OF  CAS  ADA. 


sometimes  in  the  latter  end  of  the  month  c  April.  Local  vari- 
ations in  the  time  of  its  arrival,  amounting  to  days,  and  even 
weeks  fre(iuently  occur,  and  these  are  dependent  on  the  tempara- 
ture,  which  determines  the  movement  towards  land  of  the  various 
forms  of  marine  life  on  which  the  cod  feeds.  *'  It  has  some 
favourite  spots,"  Dr.  Fortin  remarks,  "where  it  is  found  in  greater 
quantities.  These  are  the  places  which  present  the  best  ad- 
vantages for  the  preservation  and  hatching  of  the  spawn.  Hav- 
ing deposited  its  spawn,  it  withdraws  to  shallow  i)laces  called 
banks,  where  it  always  finds  food  in  sufficient  quantity  to  satisfy 
the  well  known  voracity  of  its  appetite."  About  the  month  of 
December,  the  codfish  appear  to  leave  the  shallow  soundings  and 
the  banks  inshore,  and  go  farther  out  at  sea. 

The  cod-fishing  season  varies  with  the  different  Provinces,  be- 
ginning earlier  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  ]»runswick,  where  the 
climate  is  not  quite  so  severe  as  in  the  Province  of  Quebec. 
From  April  to  November  inclusive  may  be  given  as  an  average 
time.  The  arrival  of  the  cod  on  the  coasts  in  the  spring  is 
heralded,  first  by  the  herring,  and  secondlv  by  the  caplin.  The 
latter  is  a  small  fish,  the  favourite  food  of  the  greedy  cod,  and 
therefore  the  best  fishing  bait.  In  every  large  fishing  establish- 
ment, during  all  the  month  of  June,  two  or  three  boats,  each  of 
them  manned  by  seven  men,  called  seiners,  are  emi)loyed,  day  and 
night,  in  going  about  the  coast  in  search  of  the  caplin.  When 
they  meet  with  a  shoal  of  these  fish,  they  cast  the  seine,  load 
their  boat,  and  hasten  home  to  distribute  these  little  fish  amongst 
the  fishermen.  Each  cod-fishing  boat  receives  an  equal  share  of 
the  fish  thus  brought  by  the  seiners.  Vessels  engaged  in  fishing 
on  the  Banks,  run  into  the  harbors  at  intervals  for  fresh  supplies 
of  caplin  as  bait,  which  they  preserve  in  ice. 

Some  idea  of  the  immense  shoals  of  caplin  that  fill  the  bays, 
may  be  formed  from  the  fact  that  a  man  standing  ashore,  with  a 
casting  net,  will  often  fill  a  cart  in  less  than  an  hour.  With  small 
seines,  a  couple  of  men  can  fill  a  small  boat  in  about  the  same 
time.  If  any  means  could  be  devised  to  cure  them  like  sardines, 
which  they  resemble,  caplin  would  become  of  considerable  com- 
mercial value,  as  they  have  a  very  delicate  flavour  when  fresh. 
In  some  parts  of  the  Dominion  a  considerable  quantity  is  dried, 
packed  up  in  small  boxes  and  sent  to  some  of  the  United  States 


Hav- 
x's  called 
to  satisfy 
month  of 
iings  and 

nces,  be- 
vhere  the 
Quebec, 
n  average 
sjjring  is 
lin.  The 
cod,  and 
establish- 
?,  each  of 
,  day  and 
1.  When 
ine,   load 

amongst 
1  share  of 
in  fishing 

supplies 

the  bays, 
?,  with  a 
ith  small 
the  same 
sardines, 
ble  com- 
;n  fresh, 
is  dried, 
d  States 


377 A'  COD  FISHERY 


\'^ 


ocal  vari- 
ind  even 
t  cm  para - 
e  various 
las  some 
in  greater 


? 


best   ad-     \ 


i 


i 


markets.  After  the  caplin  has  disappeared  from  the  coasts,  about 
the  end  of  June,  the  launce,  the  herring,  the  mackerel,  the  scjuid, 
the  smelt,  the  clams,  etc.,  are  used  as  bait  for  the  cod. 

Our  cod  being  mainly  taken  by  hand-lines,  and  buitiuc^s  or  set- 
lines,  the  cost  of  bait  for  cod-fishing  is  great.  It  is  certainly  not 
an  exaggeration  to  estimate  the  actual  cost  of  bait  at  ono-fourih  of 
the  value  of  the  cod  taken.  Besides  this,  much  time  is  lost  every 
year  during  the  fishing  seastm,  owing  to  want  of  fresh  bait,  which 
is  not  always  easily  procured,  and  which  is  essential  to  good  fish- 
ing. Hence,  anything  that  should  economize  tlie  cost  of  bait  and 
save  time,  would  be  both  desirable  and  important.  Norway,  the 
most  imjjortant  of  the  cod-i)roducino;  countries  of  I^urope,  and 
our  chief  rival  in  the  cod  markets  of  the  world,  l)y  the  aid  of 
science,  has  in  recent  years  greatly  improved  her  modes  of  fishing, 
her  fishermen  using  gill-nets  to  a  large  extent  and  with  great 
success.     Why  do  we  not  imitate  such  a  good  example  ? 

According  to  recent  statements,  of  26,000  fishermen  engaged  in 
cod-fishing  off  the  Lofoden  islands.  12,000  fished  with  gill-nets; 
and  fishing  with  nets  has  proved  to  be  much  more  ])roductive  than 
fishing  with  set-lines  or  bultows.  A  paper  of  (lloucestcr  (U.S.) 
records  that  on  December  12th,  1882,  a  fishing  boat,  with  two 
men  and  seven  of  these  nets,  took  5,000  fish  in  a  single  night. 
Mr.  James  Feehan,  of  Prince  Edward  Island,  stated  that  "  in  his 
hands  gill-nets  have  worked  admirably,  to  the  extent  of  two  dory 
loads  of  fish  per  day. "  Let  us,  therefore,  hope  that  gill-net 
fishing,  so  remunerative  in  other  countries,  will  soon  be  largelv 
used  in  Canada,  and  thus  save  time  and  the  waste  of  a  large  quan- 
tity of  herring,  mackerel,  and  other  fishes  now  used  for  bail. 

The  cod  fishery  is  carried  on  in  Canada,  either  in  vessels  of  a 
tonnage  from  60  to  100  tons  on  the  Great  Banks,  or  in  open  boats 
at  a  few  miles  from  the  shore.  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick 
seem  to  have  the  monopoly  of  the  fishing  in  large  decked  vessels, 
and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  naval  architecture  has  imjjroved  very 
much,  during  the  last  ten  years,  in  these  two  Provinces  ;  and  this 
improvement  in  the  dimensions  and  lines  of  their  vessels,  has  en- 
abled their  fishermen  to  increase  their  annual  catch  of  fish  con- 
siderably. 

Vessels  employed  in  cod-fishing  are  manned  by  from  ten  to 
thirteen  men,  according  to  their  tonnage.     Generally   the   owner 


16 


THE  FISHEJilES  OF  CANADA. 


of  the  schooner,  who  also  supplies  the  men  with  all  the  necessary 
fishing  tackle,  receives  half  the  catch,  the  fishermen  retaining 
the  other  half.  "When  the  vessels  have  reached  the  fishing 
grounds,"  writes  Dr.  Fortin,  "they  are  anchored  by  hemp  or 
manilla  cables  in  from  fifteen  to  fifty  fathoms  of  water.  Bait  is 
obtaiued  by  spreading  nets  in  the  sea  at  some  distance  from  the 
vessel,  and  the  fishing  is  then  begun,  with  bultows  or  long  lines, 
and  carried  on,  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  in  spite  of  wind  and 
storm,  until  the  hold  of  the  vessel  is  filled  up  with  fish  all  split 
and  salted.  Then  the  vessel  returns  to  port,  the  cod  is  landed,, 
washed,  dried,  and  prepared  for  exportation." 

Fishing  in  vessels  is  more  expensive,  but  also  more  remunera- 
tive, than  fishing  with  open  boats  along  the  shore.  The  cod  taken 
on  the  Banks  is  larger  and  finer  in  quality  than  the  fish  taken 
along  the  coasts.  An  average  of  thirty  Bank  cods,  when  dried, 
makes  a  cjuintal,  and  it  brings  a  higher  price  than  the  shore  fish. 

In  the  Province  of  Quebec  and  in  Prince  Edward  Island,  the 
cod  fishery  is  still  almost  universally  carried  on  in  open  boats, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  coves  and  bays  where  the  fishermen 
reside.  In  some  parts  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  however,  fisher- 
men venture  with  their  open  boats  to  twenty  and  thirty  miles 
from  the  shore.  These  boats  are  built  by  the  fishermen  them- 
selves. They  vary  in  dimensions  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  keel, 
with  a  breadth  of  beam  of  from  six  to  ten  feet,  according  to  the 
use  they  are  intended  for.  They  arc  very  sheer  built,  and  their 
clinker  work  is  usually  of  cedar.  Pointed  at  both  ends,  their 
rigging  consists  generally  of  two  sprits  or  gaff- sails  ;  some  of 
those  intended  to  fish  on  the  Banks  being  schooner-rigged.  They 
are  comparatively  light,  in  order  to  be  easily  hauled  up  on  the 
beach  in  stormy  weather;  are  good  sailers,  and  behave  wonderfully 
well  at  sea.  Yet,  although  good  sea  boats  and  splendid  sailers, 
manned  by  fishermen  whose  intrepidity  and  skilfulness  are  well 
known,  these  boats  are  too  small  to  enable  our  fishermen  to  carry 
on  cod-fishing  upon  as  large  a  scale  as  it  might  be  done.  The 
fishermen  of  Quebec  and  Prince  Edward  Island,  with  their  small 
boats, — being  too  often  obliged  to  run  before  the  storm,  and  leave 
the  fishing  grounds  when  they  are  sure  of  a  good  catch,  in  order 
to  save  themselves  from  being  caught  away  from  land  by  heavy 
gales, — lose  every  year  much    precious  time,    during    which    the 


\ 


ff 


THE  COD  FISHERY. 


17 


necessary 

retaining 
le    fishing 

hemj)  or 
Bait  is 

from  the 
ong  lines, 
wind  and 
I  all  split 
is  landed,. 

emunera- 
od  taken 
ish  taken 
en  dried, 
re  fish, 
land,  the 
en  boats, 
ishermen 
er,  fisher- 
rty  miles 
en  them- 
'eet  kee), 
ig  to  the 
Lnd  their 
is,    their 
some  of 
1.     They 
p  on  the 
iderfully 
sailers, 
are  well 
to  carry 
e.     The 
ir  small 
id  leave 
n  order 
/  heavy 
ich    the 


fishermen  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  reap  an  abundant 
harvest.  The  reports  of  the  fisheries  of  the  last  few  years  show  a 
noticeable  diminution  in  the  (|uantity  of  fish  caught  by  the  fisher- 
men of  the  Province  of  (Quebec,  and  this  deficiency  was  due 
to  no  other  cause  than  the  fre(iuent  storms  which  raged  in  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  during  the  last  few  years.  The  summer 
fishing  has  l)een  a  failure  this  year  again,  owing  to  the  same  cause, 
though  there  was  fish  in  abundance. 

Though  the  official  Reports  show  an  annual  increase  in  the  catch 
of  codfihh,  we  may  safely  say  tiiat,  considering  the  increasing 
number  of  fishermen,  the  ilevelopment  of  this  fishery  is  stationary. 
And  this  condition,  as  remarked  by  Messrs.  Hatton  and  Hervey, 
before  referred  to,  is  not  caused  by  the  falling  off  in  quantity  of 
the  cod,  but  is  largely  due  to  the  imperfect  methods  of  taking 
them  which  still  ])revail.  If  we  except  a  few  enterprising  men  in 
the  Maritime  Provinces,  the  merchants,  as  a  rule,  are  ai)athetic, 
and  show  no  desire  to  jirocure  information  respecting  what  other 
countries  are  doing,  or  to  induce  their  fishermen  to  use  imj)roved 
fishing  gear.  Science  is  not  called  in  to  aid  this  important  indus- 
try in  Canada,  as  it  has  been  in  the  United  States  and  in  Europe. 
Above  all,  the  vicious  supply  system,  still  more  or  less  in  force  in 
the  different  Provinces,  by  which  advances  in  food  and  clothing 
are  made  to  the  fisherman  at  the  commencement  of  each  season, 
is  destructive  to  the  industrious  efforts  of  men  who  are  thus  rarely 
out  of  debt. 

I  certainly  do  not  wish  to  insinuate  that  the  condition  of  our 
fishermen  is  worse  than  that  of  fishermen  elsewhere  ;  for  this 
"  supply  "  system  is  necessary  to  the  working  of  fishing  industries 
in  every  part  of  the  worl.  But  if  we  had  in  Canada  a  well- 
organized  Fishery  Bureau,  under  the  guidance  of  skilful  scientists 
and  practical  men,  and  if  the  improvements  of  other  countries 
v/ere  introduced  here,  our  cod  fishery,  as  well  as  our  other  fisheries, 
through  the  application  of  skill  and  capital,  might  be  indefinitely 
increased.  Capitalists,  who  should  invest  capital  in  this  industry, 
would  be  always  sure  of  a  good  market  for  their  produce.  The 
dried  cod  is  regarded  as  an  indispensable  article  of  food  by  the 
inhabitants  of  warm  countries.  Ever\-  year  we  supply  the  Catholic 
countries  of  Europe  and  America  with  millions  of  dollars  worth 
of  dried  codfish,  our  principal  markets  for  dry  codfish  being  Italy, 


.  -  v^-\ 


18 


THE  FISUKUIES  OF  CAS  AD  A. 


Spain,  Tortiigal,  Brazil,  the  British  and  Spanish  West  Indies,  and 
United  States. 

The  finest  cod  in  all  America  is  cured  on  the  coast  of  Gaspe,  in 
the  Province  of  Quebec,  where  the  effects  of  the  mists  generated 
by  Gulf  stream  are  least  felt.  It  is  well  known  in  the  markets  of 
Spain,  Italy  and  Bra/.il,  where  it  is  genernlly  sent — the  large  fish 
going  to  the  Mediterranean  countries  in  bulk  in  vessels  from  one 
hund'red  to  three  hundred  tons,  and  the  small  fish  to  Brazil  in 
drums  containing  128  pounds. 

During  the  time  that  the  fish  is  exposed  on  the  "nakes  "  to  dry, 
if  the  weather  is  fine,  the  sun  shining,  the  westerly  winds  predomi- 
nating, cod  is  easily  cured  and  made  of  fine  quality  ;  but,  some- 
times, easterly  winds  prevailing,  rain  lasts  for  weeks,  and  in  spite 
of  all  i)Ossible  care  and  precaution,  it  is  inevitably  spoiled.  So  be- 
fore sending  it  to  the  markets,  the  fish  is  carefully  culled,  the 
greater  part  of  the  best  quality  being  sent  to  Europe  and  Brazil, 
and  the  inferior  to  the  West  Indies  and  United  States  markets. 
Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and  Prince  Edward  Island  export 
chielly  to  the  West  Indies,  United  States  and  Brazil  ;  Quebec  to 
Brazil,  the  Mediterranean  countries,  and  the  West  Indies. 

According  to  the  last  statistics  which  we  have  on  the  matter,  the 
West  Indies  have  paid  us  for  dried  codfish  $2,000,000 ;  Brazil  and 
Europe,  $500,000  each  ;  the  United  States,  somewhat  over  that 
sum  ;  and  British  Guiana,  $250,000.  •     .      ■•      . 

VI.  Industries  of  the  Cod  Fisheries. 

The  cod  is  the  most  useful  of  all  fish  ;  no  part  of  it  is  valueless. 
Oil  is  taken  from  its  liver  ;  the  head,  tongues,  and  sounds  form  a 
good  article  of  food  ;  the  offal  and  bones,  when  steamed,  dried, 
and  ground,  are  converted  into  a  very  good  manure,  equal  as  a 
fertilizer,  to  the  celebrated  Peruvian  guano.  The  roes  are  a 
splendid  bait  for  the  sardine  fisheries  of  France  and  Spain  ;  and 
from  the  swimming  bladder  isinglass  is  made. 

Great  Britain  bought  from  us  last  year  $150,000  worth  of  cod 
oil,  and  cod  tongues  and  sounds  to  $125,000.  The  manufacturers 
of  fish  manure,  in  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick  and  British  Colum- 
bia, have  produced  this  commodity  to  the  amount  of  $80,000.  I 
regret  to  state  that  the  Province  of  Quebec  has  not  yet  a  manufac- 
ture of  guano.     Thousands  of  tons  of  fish  offal  are,  every  year, 


i 


y^ 


lyDCSTRIES  OF  THE  COD  FISHERIES. 


19 


dies,  and 

Gaspe,  in 
;enerated 
irkets  of 
arge  fish 
from  one 
Brazil  in 

"  to  dry, 
predomi- 
ut,  some- 
.  in  spite 
.  So  be- 
lled, the 
id  Brazil, 
markets, 
id  export 
Quebec  to 

latter,  the 
Jrazil  and 
over  that 


valueless, 
is  form  a 
ed,  dried, 
:qual  as  a 
)es  are  a 
)ain  ;  and 

th  of  cod 
ufacturers 
sh  Colum- 
5o,ooo.  I 
manufac- 
/^ery  year, 


thrown  away  and  wasted,  which  could  be  converted  into  fish 
manure  worth  from  ^28  to  $40  a  ton  in  the  foreign  markets.  If 
manufactures  of  fish  guano  were  built  on  the  coasts  of  Labrador 
and  Claspesia,  the  manufacturer  would  realize  handsome  prt)fits, 
and  the  fishermen,  without  much  extra  work,  c(nild  dispose  of  pro- 
ducts that  are  now  wasted. 

What  I  have  just  said  about  fish  offal  may  also  be  said  of  the  cod 
roes,  which  are  not  exported,  although  this  article  can  be  sold  at  a 
good  profit.  In  France  and  Spain,  where  sardines  and  anchovy 
fisheries  are  carried  on,  at  least  50,000  barrels  of  cod  roes  are 
wanted  every  year  as  bait  for  these  fishes.  In  very  good  fishing 
years,  Norway  can  supply  the  French  and  Spanish  markets  with 
about  35,000  barrels  of  rocs.  But  this  is  the  largest  ([uantity  which 
that  country  can  give  ;  and  during  1881,  1882,  and  1883,  Norway 
could  only  sell  25,000  barrels.  There  would  then  remain  an  aver- 
age of  20,000  barrels  of  cod  roes  of  which  could  easily  be  furnished 
and  sold  by  Canadian  fishermen.  When  they  cannot-  get  the  roes, 
the  sardine  fishermen  are  obliged  to  use  costly  chemic:al  cc^mposi- 
tions  as  substitutes.  Let  us  note  here  that  a  barrel  of  well-pre- 
pared cod  roes  is  generally  worth  $10  in  the  French  markets.  If 
we  multiply  twenty  thousand  barrels  by  ten.  we  have  a  sum  of 
$200,000  annually  thrown  into  the  sea  by  our  fishermen  because  the 
trade  has  not  been  opened  in  Canada.  A  few  years  ago,  French 
vessels  traveled  all  along  the  Canadian  fishing  coast  and  bought 
all  the  cod  roes  they  could  get  ;  but  the  want  of  exj)erience  of  our 
fishermen  in  the  salting  of  roe.«,  and  especially  the  absence  of  any 
law  obliging  this  article  to  be  inspected  before  being  packed  for  ex- 
portation, caused  a  very  inferior  article  to  be  furnished,  and  put 
an  end  to  a  trade  which  promised  handsome  profits. 

Lastly,  as  to  the  industries  connected  with  rope,  cordage,  line, 
nets,  hooks,  cooperage,  etc.,  our  country  has  up  to  the  present 
moment  bought,  from  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  all  the 
fishing  gear  which  our  fishermen  required.  Now,  manufactures  of 
this  kind  are  wanted  in  Canada,  and  would  prosper  well  here.  We 
have  only  to  give  them  the  million  dollars  that  we  spend  in  buying 
nets  and  other  fishing  gear.  Let  me  add  also  this  very  important 
consideration  :  that  the  manufacture  of  fishing  tackle  on  our  coasts 
would  give  work  to  thousands  of  hands,  and  would  prevent  many 
[of  our  countrymen  from  emigrating. 


90 


THE  FISH  Jill  IKS  OF  CANADA. 


VII.  The  Herring  Fishery. 


The  sea  fishing  next  in  importance  to  the  cod  fishery  in  Canr^da 
is  the  herring  fishery,  the  vahie  of  which,  without  taking  into 
account  the  local  consumption,  and  the  ciuantity  used  as  bait  for 
the  cod  fishery,  and  for  manure  in  many  ])arts  of  the  Dominion, 
was,  according  to  our  last  statistics,  represented  by  the  sum  of  over 
$2,135,000.  This  amount  is  a  large  one,  and  the  result  seems 
handsome,  but  it  is  certainly  not  in  re'ation  with  the  abundance  of 
this  fish  in  Canadian  waters.  The  herring  fishery  is  far  from 
getting  here  all  the  attention  it  deserves;  and  I  might  even  say 
that  we  have  no  regular  herring  fishery  in  Canada.  It  is  true  that 
in  Nova  Scotia,  New  IJrunswick,  and  I'rince  Edward  Island, 
schooners  are  especially  fitted  out  for  this  fishery;  that  it  is  regu- 
larly and  intelligently  practised  by  a  large  number  of  men  from 
those  Provinces,  bringing  them  handsome  returns:  still  all  these 
endeavours,  although  very  laudable,  are  nothing  but  isolated  under- 
takings. 

It  will  perhaps  surprise  a  good  many  of  my  readers,  to  learn 
that  the  whole  of  the  Province  of  Quebec, — possessing  10,000 
fishermen,  1,100  miles  of  maritime  coasts,  numerous  bays,  far-famed 
for  the  abundance  of  herring  repairing  to  their  waters, — does  not 
annually  export  two  thousand  barrels  of  this  fish.  Although  they 
could  derive  immense  benefits  from  the  working  of  the  industry, 
the  Quebec  fishermen  arc  satisfied  when  they  have  taken  enough 
fish  for  their  own  consumption  and  for  the  wants  of  the  cod  fishery. 

The  reason  of  this  apparent  neglect  lies  in  the  fact  that  the 
Quebec  merchants  give  all  their  time  and  attention  to  the  cod 
fishery.  And,  nevertheless,  it  is  almost  impossible,  without  seeing 
it,  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  immense  quantity  of  herrings  that 
visit  the  coasts  of  the  Province,  especially  in  the  spring  during  the 
spawning  season.  Their  compact  masses  cover  thousands  of  acres 
of  the  sea;  so  that,  if  the  fishermen  were  provided  with  the  neces 
sary  fishing  appliances,  if  they  had  a  ready  market,  they  could 
easily,  in  a  few  days,  even  before  the  beginning  of  the  cod  fishery, 
catch  enough  herring  to  realize  thousands  of  dollars.  Out  of  the 
$2,135,283  produced  by  our  herring  fishery  in  1883,  Nova  Scotia  J 
New  Brunswick  and  Prince  Edward  Island  have  $1,750,000 
Ontario,   $86,000;   and   British    Columbia,   $14,000, — leaving  to| 


I 


THE  UEliniSr,  FISIIEHT, 


'Jl 


y  in  Canada 

taking  into 

as  bait  for 

i  Dominion, 

sum  of  over 

result  seems 

)undance  of 

is   far  from 

^ht  even  sa\ 

t  is  true  that 

irard    Island, 

at  it  is  regu- 

of  men  from 

itill  all  these 

elated  under- 

ers,  to  learn 
jssing  10,000 
Lvs,  far-famed 
rs, — does  not 
.Ithough  they 
the  industry, 
taken  enough 
le  cod  fishery, 
fact  that  the 
n  to  the  cod 
r'ithout  seeing 
herrings  that 
ng  during  the 
sands  of  acres 
ith  the  neces- 
;t,  they  could 
le  cod  fishery. 
5.  Out  of  the 
Nova  Scotia 

:    $1,750,000; 

), — leaving  to 


•1 


Quebec  a  ridiculous  proportion  compared  with  the  extent  of  its 
maritime  coasts. 

A  regular  fleet  of  vessels,  from  thirty  to  ninety  tons,  is  used,  in 
England,  in  the  herring  fisheries,  which  give  employment  to  about 
80,000  men,  and  in  whit  h  ICnglish  capitalists  have  invested  enor- 
mous sums  of  money.  The  luiropean  fishermen,  provided  with 
good  and  improved  fishing  gear,  and  maiming  large  and  safe  sea 
boats,  go  out  fifty,  sixty,  and  even  one  hundred  miles  if  necessary, 
in  search  of  shoals  of  herring.  In  Ireland,  Scotland,  England, 
France,  Holland,  etc.,  a  herring-fishing  craft  costs,  including  the 
necessary  fibbing  tackle,  from  $5,000  to  $7,000.  The  returns  of 
the  herring  fishery,  ])ro])erly  made,  must  be  very  large  in  those 
countries,  since  they  not  only  cover  the  immense  disbursements 
necessary  to  carry  it  on,  but  briui?  in  important  i)rofits.  And  yet 
the  herring  fisheries  of  Iuiroi)e  are  not  as  rich  or  abundant  as  ours. 

I  assert  with  confidence  that  it,  in  Canada,  this  industry  were 
carried  on  upon  a  scale  proportionate  to  its  importance  and  the 
abundance  of  herring  in  our  waters;  if  companies  were  formed  to 
provide  our  fishermen  with  boats  and  fishing  implements  like  those 
used  in  Europe,  our  herring  fishery,  instead  of  two,  would  bring 
every  year  five  or  six  millions  of  dollars.  Nor  are  markets  wanting 
for  this  fish,  which  is  cheap,  and  can  be  bought  by  the  poorest;  for, 
besides  our  own  market,  we  should  have  those  of  the  United 
States,  of  England,  dermany  and  the  West  Indies.  The  popula- 
tion of  Europe  and  South  America  is  growing  rapidly,  and  the 
products  of  the  fisheries  of  these  countries  are  far  from  being 
abundant  enough  to  meet  the  demand.  We  have  there  an  almost 
unlimited  market  for  our  pickled  fish,  provided  it  be  carefully 
prepared  and  packed. 

As  soon  as  the  ice  has  disappeared  from  our  coasts  in  the  spring, 
herrings  arrive  in  immense  shoals,  remaining  in  our  waters  till  the 
month  of  December.  A  considerable  quantity  is  even  taken  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  along  the  southern  coast  of  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia.  The  spring  herrings  are  not  as  valuable  as 
those  caught  from  the  month  of  August  to  the  month  of  December. 
The  former  are  packed  in  barrels  of  two  hundred  pounds  and  sent 
to  the  West  Indies ;  while  the  fat  fish,  caught  in  the  latter  end  of 
the  season,  are  carefully  gutted  and  prepared  for  the  United  States 
and  European  markets, — our  best  being  the  celebrated  Labrador 


THE  FISBEIUES  OF  CANADA. 


herring.  For  the  last  few  years,  small  herrings  have  been  success- 
fully' prejjared  in  boxes  like  sardines,  and  this  new  trade  is  rapidly 
increasing.  A  breakfast  delicacy,  well  known  to  epicures  in  Amer- 
ica as  well  as  in  Europe,  is  the  bright  golden  Digby  Chicken, — a 
small  smoked  herring  prepared  in  Nova  Scotia.  We  exported  last 
vear  170,000  boxes  of  this  much  appreciated  article  of  food. 

Canada  furnished,  in  the  year  1882,  the  following  quantities  of 
herring  to  the  foreign  markets  : — 


Pickled,  423,042  barrels, 
Smoked,  1,060,416  bo.\e.s. 
Fresh,  16.050,000  pounds, 


§i> 739.943 
311,807 

S3, 533 


.      ,  $2,135,283 

All  the  fresh  herring  figuring  in  the  above  statement  is  sent  from 
Novia  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
largest  ([uantity  of  the  pickled  and  smoked  herring  is  also  exported 
from  these  two  Provinces  to  the  United  States,  West  Indies  and 
English  markets  ;  but,  as  I  have  said  already,  the  amount  of  our 
exports  of  herring  could  be  easily  doubled. 

VIII.  The  Mackerel  Fishery. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  our  energetic  and  progressive  neighbours 
to  the  south  have  no  longer  the  almost  exclusive  monopoly  of 
mackerel  fishing  in  the  Canadian  waters, — a  monopoly  that  they 
have  enjoyed  for  a  number  of  years.  AN'earied  with  beholding  the 
success  of  the  Gloucester  fishermen,  who,  year  after  year,  come  to 
our  own  doors  to  reap  an  abundant  crop,  the  fishermen  of  No\a 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  set  to  work,  and  have  succeeded  very 
well.  They  are  to-day  carrying  on  mackerel  fishing  on  a  large 
scale,  and  deriving  good  profits  from  it.  They  can  show  a  fine 
fleet  of  vessels,  so  improved  in  symmetry  as  to  bear  fair  comparison 
with  the  American  schooners,  which  are  rej)uted  to  be  the  finest 
vessels  and  the  best  sailers  of  their  cla^s  in  the  world.  Nor  are 
they  merely  the  owners  of  splendid  vessels.,  fitted  out  with  the 
utmost  care.  They  have  adopted  the  most  modern  fishing  ap])li- 
ances,  and  are  prosecuting  this  industry  with  great  tact  and  intelli- 
gence ;  for  the  mackerel  fishery  is  difficult,  jjrecarious  and  uncer- 
tain. A  schooner  may  cruise  in  ihe  Gulf  for  a  week  without  taking 
a  single  fish,  while  another  gets  filled  in  the  space  of  a  fortnight, 


I 


THE  MACKEREL  FISUEUY. 


93 


ri  success- 
is  rapidly 
in  Amer- 
icken, — a 
orled  last 
od. 
intities  of 


739.943 
311,807 

^^3,533 
135,283 

sent  from 
s,  and  the 
)  exj^orted 
ndies  and 
unt  of  our 


K'iyhljours 
nopoly  of 
r  that  they 
olding  the 
r,  come  to 
n  of  No\a 
;eded  very 
m  a  large 
low  a  fine 
omparison 

the  finest 
Nor  are 

with  the 
ling  appli- 
nd  intelli- 
nd  uncer- 
out  taking 

fortnight, 


and  sometimes  less.  It  requires,  therefore,  to  be  carried  on  with 
sagacity  and  jjcrseverance, — two  qualities  which  distinguish  the  tish- 
ermen  of  our  Maritime  Provinces ;  but,  then,  it  is  generally  suc- 
cessful, brings  in  large  profits,  and  is  certainly  worthy  of  the  atten- 
tion of  capitalists.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  many  years  will  not 
elapse  before  Quebec,  which  up  to  this  date  has  given  little  or  no 
attention  to  this  fishery,  will  also  have  bix  fleet  of  mackerel-fishing 
vessels. 

The  tourists  who,  during  the  dog  days,  run  away  from  the  heat 
of  our  cities  to  breathe  the  pure  and  vivifying  air  of  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  make  the  journey  by  water,  ha\  e  often  in  the 
course  of  their  visits  to  the  Maritime  provinces,  met  with  fine 
mackerel  schooners  and  mistaken  them  for  a  small  squadron  of 
yachts,  so  ])en'itiful  are  their  masts  and  sails,  so  neat  and  clean  are 
are  they  kept.  But,  writes  Dr.  Fortin,  "  on  a  nearer  approach,  this 
is  found  to  be  an  error  ;  for  on  the  decks  of  these  vessels  are  to  be 
seen  crews  of  from  ten  to  twenty  men,  all  occupied  either  in  catch- 
ing fish,  in  re])iiring  fishing  imj)lements,  or  in  splitting  and  salting 
the  fish  that  has  been  taken  ;  and  what  is  m^re  striking  is  the  order 
that  reigns  on  board  these  schooners,  whose  decks  and  holds  are 
almost  always  full  of  fish,  fish  barrels,  salt,  etc.  These  schooners 
are  generally  of  from  sixt\-  to  one  hundred  tons  burden.  They  have 
little  depth  of  hold,  great  breath  of  beam,  rake  very  mucli  fore  and 
aft,  and  carry  large  cotton  sails  which  enable  them  to  sail  fast  e\  en 
with  a  light  breeze.  Their  tlecks  are  roomy,  and  on  them  the  whole 
work  of  salting  and  barreling  is  carried  on," 

Hook  and  line,  ordinary  seines,  and  purse- seines  are  used  in 
fishing  mackerel  in  the  Gulf.  Gill-nets,  smaller  seines,  and  traps 
serve  the  same  purpose  in  the  bays,  coves,  creeks,  and  inlets  along 
the  coasts.  Mackerel  is  met  with  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  in 
the  Bay  of  Fundy,  in  the  Gulf  of  Canso ;  but  nowhere  is  it  more 
j/icntiful  than  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  off  the  coast  of  Prince 
Edward  Island,  in  the  Bay  of  Chaleurs,  and  in  the  numerous  coves 
and  bays  formed  by  the  Magdalen  Islands. 

The  mackerel  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  fish  visiting  the  Cana- 
dian coasts.  A  good  proportion  of  our  catch  is  sent  fresh  to  the 
markets,  some  in  tins,  and  the  largest  quantity  pickled  and  packed 
in  barrels.  Our  best  market  for  either  fresh,  canned  or  pickled 
mackerel  is  the   United  States,  although  Great   Britain   and  the 


-^ 


24 


THE  FISHFAilES  OF  CANADA. 


West  Indies  also  buy  some  of  it.  From  the  last  statistical  returns, 
we  see  that  the  mackerel  fishery  produced  $1,250,000  ;  but  it  could 
certainly  afford  employment  to  many  additional  vessels,  and  employ 
thousands  of  additional  hands. 


IX.     The  Lobster  and  Oyster  Fisheries. 

It  seems  to  be  the  tendency  in  this  age  of  competition  to  overdo 
any  business  which  promises  to  be  lucrative.  '*  Not  more  than  ten 
years  ago,"  writes  Mr.  Hunter  Duvar,  in  his  Report  to  the  Minister 
of  Marine  and  Fisheries  in  1879,  **  when  the  retail  price  of  lobsters 
was  two  or  three  for  a  half-penny,  a  New  Brunswicker  came  to 
Prince  Edward  Island  and  commenced  the  business  of  preserving 
in  tins.  Attracted  by  his  success,  a  few  other  persons  engaged  in 
the  same  pursuit.  The  business  gradually  augmented  until  three 
or  four  years  since,  when  it  became  endued  with  much  more  life, 
and  has,  at  length,  sprung  into  great  dimensions."  The  following 
is  a  list  of  the  number  of  cans  put  up  for  the  market  in  Prince 
Edward  Island: — 

1871 6,711 

1S75 151,24s 

1S76 362,676 

1877 663,900 

187S 1,649,800 

1879 2,272,825 

iSSo 3,551,000 

1S81 5,200.000 

18S2 6,300,000 

This  Province,  which  in  1871  had  only  one  lobster-canning  fac- 
tory, had,  ten  years  later,  in  iSSr,  one  hundred  and  twenty  of  these 
estal)lishments  in  full  operation.  The  same  development  of  the 
trade  happened  in  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia.  In  1870, 
New  Brunswick  had  only  one  factory,  the  owner  of  which  prepared 
20,000  cans  of  fish.  Ten  years  after,  6,000,000  cans  were  sent 
from  this  Province  to  different  foreign  markets.  Nova  Scotia,  pro- 
ducing only  30,000  cans  in  1870,  exported  5,000,000  in  1882. 
Quebec,  far  behind  her  sister  Provinces  in  the  prosecution  of  this 
industry,  did  not  produce  more  than  800,000  cans  last  year. 

If  we  recapitulate  the  above  figures,  we  shall  find  that  the  lobster 
fishery,  which  was  almost  unknown  in  Canada   ten  years  ago,  is 


I 


THE  LOBSTER  AND  OYSTER  FISHERIES. 


35 


1  returns. 
It  it  could 
d  employ 


to  overdo 
than  ten 
Minister 
>f  lobsters 
came  to 
•reserving 
igaged  in 
ntil  three 
Tiore  life, 
following 
in  Prince 

6,711 
r5i,248 
562,676 
)63,90o 
)49,8oo 

!72,S25 

;5i,ooo 

500.000 

;oo,ooo 

ining  fac- 

y  of  these 

2nt  of  the 

In  1870, 

prepared 

vere  sent 

:otia,  pro- 

in    1882. 

m  of  this 

ir. 

lie  lobster 
rs  ago,  is 


carried  on  to-day  in  more  than  600  factories,  which,  last  year,  sent 
to  the  different  markets  of  the  world  17,500,000  cans,  repre- 
senting a  value  of  $3,000,000,  almost  equivalent  to  the  value  of 
our  herring  and  mackerel  fisheries  put  together.  These  seventeen 
millions  and  a  half  of  cans  represent,  at  three  lobsters  to  each  can, 
52,500,000  lobsters  taken  in  the  Canadian  waters  in  1882.  The 
number  of  lobsters  taken  in  all  England  does  not  exceed  3,000,000 
each  year. 

This  comparatively  enormous  development  in  the  catch  of  lob- 
ster, in  indicating  the  extent  and  richness  of  our  lobster  fishery, 
suggests  also  the  danger  of  over-production,  both  of  which  facts 
point  to  the  necessity  of  economizing  and  perpetuating  the  general 
supplies.  '*  There  is  nothing  easier,"  says  Mr.  W.  F.  Whitcher, 
who  for  many  years  has  presided  over  our  Fishery  Department, 
'*  than  to  exhaust  a  shell  fishery,  but  also  nothing  harder  than  to 
revive  it ;  and  the  Government  of  the  Dominion,  alive  to  this  fact, 
has  taken  measures  to  prevent  any  indiscriminate  fishing  of  the 
lobster  on  our  coasts.  Doubtless,  if  the  fishing  that  is  now  carried 
on  was  not  sul)jected  to  regulations,  all  persons  interested  in  it 
would  prosper  for  a  short  time,  and  the  country  would  appear  to 
benefit  by  the  rapid  and  extensive  development  of  this  resource, 
but  a  period  of  reaction  would  necessarily  ensue." 

I  need  hardly  mention  here  that  thi?  industry  is  of  considerable 
importance  in  the  general  economy  of  the  Dominion.  Every  one 
understands  that  the  erection  of  buildings,  tin  and  iron  work,  boat 
building,  fuel  cutting,  truckage,  etc.,  cause  a  large  amount  of  money 
to  circulate  amongst  our  fishing  population,  and  fair  wages  to  be 
paid  to  thousands  of  hands,  men,  women  and  children. 

Great  Britain  is  our  best  market  for  preserved  lobsters.  We 
also  export  annually  some  3,000,000  cans  to  the  United  States. 
France  takes  about  200,000  cans,  and  the  remainder  is  divided 
between  the  West  Indies,  (Germany,  Brazil,  and  some  other 
markets  of  South  America. 

A  word  about  the  Oyster  fishery  naturally  finds  its  place  here. 
This  mollusc,  so  well  known  by  epicures  of  all  countries,  is  still 
comparatively  abundant  in  Canada.  In  Europe,  owing  to  its 
scarcity,  it  sells  at  a  fabulous  price,  and  wealthy  people  alone  can 
indulge  in  this  luxury,  but  on  our  coasts  almost  everybody  can, 
from  time  to  time,  enjoy  a  good  oyster  soup. 


*Ji^ 


THE  FISHERIES  OF  CAN  AD  J. 


We  have  the  Malpeque,  the  St  Simon,  the  Caraquet,  and 
many  other  varieties,  deriving  their  names  from  the  localities 
where  the  banks  from  which  they  are  taken  are  situated.  Oyster 
fishing  is  carried  on  chiefly  on  the  coasts  of  Prince  Edward  I^land 
and  New  Brunswick,  and  yields  annually  a  round  sum  of 
$200,000. 

X,  The  Seal  Fishery. 


The  herds  of  seals  that  fre([uent  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  arrive  there  in  the  month  of  November.  They 
come  into  the  (lulf  through  the  Strait  of  Belleisle.  They  keep 
close  to  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  Newfoundland,  penetrating 
into  all  the  bays,  and  not  going  far  out  from  land  when  doubling 
the  points  and  capes.  They  are  fond  of  approaching  the  shore, 
and  landing  on  sandy  beaches  or  flat  rocks  to  bask  in  the  sun  ; 
but  at  the  slightest  noise,  and,  especially  if  they  perceive  the  fish- 
ermen, they  make  for  the  sea  and  disappear  under  its  waters. 

Seals  are  of  great  value,  not  only  on  account  of  the  thick  layer 
of  fat  between  their  skin  and  muscles,  which  yields  an  oil 
superior  to  that  of  the  whale,  but  also  on  account  of  their  skin, 
whic'i  tans  well  and  makes  an  excellent  leather.  Their  impor- 
tance, from  a  commercial  point  of  view,  was  soon  perceived  by 
the  first  mariners  who  visited  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  for,  no 
sooner  was  Canada  discovered,  than  the  seal  fishery  was  prose- 
cuted on  our  coasts,  and,  if  we  are  to  believe  the  accounts  wliich 
have  come  down  to  us  of  sevei-al  voyages  t)  the  coastj  of  Labra- 
dor during  the  last  century,  immense  numbers  of  them  were 
taken  at  that  period. 

Then,  as  now,  nets  were  used  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  these 
marine  animals.  These  nets  are  made  of  a  hemjien  cord,  which 
is  very  strong,  although  not  more  than  the  twelfth  part  of  an 
inch  thich.  The  meshes  are  eight  inches  square  and  will  admit 
the  head  and  neck  of  the  seal.  Some  of  thes;  nets  are  more:  than 
six  hundred  feet  long  l)y  sixty  feet  wide.  The  usual  time  lor  the 
seals  to  pass  near  the  shore  on  their  migratory  voyage  being 
known,  the  nets  are  set  a  few  days  before.  One  of  the  fishermen 
is  posted  as  a  sentry  on  a  rock  a  little  in  advance  of  the  fishery, 
to  give  notice  of  the  approach  of  the  herds  of  seal,  and  the 
moment  that   any  appear  in   the  fishery,  the  signal  is  given,  and 


THE  SEAL  FISHERY. 


27 


quet,  and 
localities 
Oyster 
ard  I^land 
sum    of 


rence  and 
)er.  They 
rhey  keep 
enetrating 
1  doubling 
the  shore, 
1  the  sun  ; 
e  the  fish- 
ters. 

hick  layer 
is  an  oil 
their  skin, 
eir  impor- 
ceived  by 
:e,  for,  no 
'as  prese- 
nts wliich 
of  Labra- 
lem   were 

ring  these 
ird,  which 
irt  of  an 
vill  admit 
norc:  than 
le  for  the 
ge  being 
fishermen 
c  fishery, 
and  the 
iven,  and 


the  fishermen  hasten  to  raise,  by  means  of  a  capstan,  a  net  sunk 
by  weights  to  the  bottom  of  the  water  at  the  entrance  of  the 
fishery.  With  this  net  they  close  the  opening  through  which  the 
seals  made  their  ingress ;  and  as  soon  as  this  operation  is  com- 
pleted, and  the  seals  are  fairly  imprisoned,  the  fishermen  jum]) 
into  their  boats  and  enter  the  fishery  shouting  and  beating  the 
water  with  their  paddles.  The  frightened  seals,  trying  to  escape, 
dive  down  and  run  their  heads  into  the  meshes  of  the  nets,  which 
are  kept  open  by  means  of  cables  round  their  borders.  As 
soon  as  the  seals  are  caught  in  the  meshes,  the  men  under-run 
the  nets,  knock  on  the  head  those  that  are  not  strangled  and 
carry  them  all  on  shore  in  their  canoes. 

The  autumn  seal  fishery  takes  ])lace  at  the  end  of  November 
and  in  December  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  is  very  arduous, 
owing  to  the  severity  of  the  cold  at  that  season.  The  seals 
are  no  sooner  taken  out  of  the  water,  than  they  become  frozen  ; 
and  in  that  state  they  are  put  into  stores,  and  it  is  not  until  the 
spring,  when  the  weather  has  softened  them,  that  they  are  cut  \\\} 
and  their  fat  melted. 

But  it  is  not  only  near  the  shore  in  nets,  after  the  manner  I 
have  just  described,  that  the  seals  are  taken  ;  they  are  also  pursued 
in  every  direction,  and  are  sought  for  on  the  ice-fields,  not  only 
in  the  Ciulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  but  even  in  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean. 
Strong  sailing  vessels  and  steamers,  specially  fitted  out  for  this 
latter  kind  of  fishing,  or  rather  hunting,  start  early  in  the  month 
of  March,  in  order  to  find  the  seals  on  the  ice-fields  ;  for,  when 
once  they  get  into  the  water,  they  can  set  the  most  exi)erienced 
men  at  defiance,  and  it  is  useless  to  pursue  them. 

The  inhabitants  of  Labrador  and  the  Magdalen  Islands  are  the 
only  fishermen  in  Canada  who  bestow  any  attention  upon  the  seal 
fishery,  which  certainly  would  yield  large  profits  to  all  who  should 
invest  in  it.  Newfoundland  carries  on  the  seal  fishery  on  a  large 
scale.  Ten  thousand  of  her  fishermen  are  employed  in  it.  The 
Newfoundland  cai)italists,  whose  spirit  of  initiative  and  of  enter- 
prize  is  well  known,  have  replaced  the  sailing  vessels  formerly  in 
use  by  a  splendid  fleet  of  steamers,  which  have  the  advantage 
over  sailing  vessels  of  making  and  completing  two  trips  instead  of 
one. 

Notwithstanding  the  heavy  expenses  which  must  necessarily  be 


.V 


-.8 


THE  FISHERIES  OF  CANADA. 


incurred  in  carrying  on  this  fishery,  its  returns  pay  so  well,  that 
experienced  and  competent  business  men  assure  us  that  capital 
invested  in  it  will  generally  bring  twenty-five  and  sometimes  forty 
per  cent.  Every  spring  we  see  in  the  newspapers  that  the  New- 
foundland steamers  are  back  from  the  ice-fields,  some  with  from 
10,000  to  20,000  seals,  others  with  from  20,000  to  40,000  each. 
And  each  seal,  oil  and  skin,  is  worth  on  an  average  $3.  In  1883;, 
Newfoundland  exported  seal  skins  and  seal  oil  to  the  amount  of 
$1,080,000,  while  Canada  did  not  go  much  beyond  $200,000.  And 
yet  this  industry  could  produce  as  much  in  Canada  as  in  New- 
foundland, if  our  business  men  would  give  their  attention  to  it. 

XI.  Fresh-water  Fisheries  :  Salmon. 

Although  not  quite  as  important  as  our  deep-sea  fisheries,  from 
a  commercial  point  of  view,  the  fresh-water  fisheries  of  Canada  are 
nevertheless  most  valuable.  Without  taking  into  account  the 
$3,000,000  which  they  furnish  annually  to  our  export  trade,  they 
are  the  chief  source  from  which  those,  who  live  on  the  shores  of 
our  large  lakes  and  by  our  principal  rivers,  get  their  daily  food  and 
supply  our  markets  of  the  interior. 

Salmon  is  considered  the  best,  and  is  called  the  king  of  fresh- 
water fishes.  Abundant  enough  still  in  the  rivers  of  the  Dominion, 
you  meet  him  alike  in  the  cottage  of  the  poor,  and  in  the  mansion 
of  the  rich.  Our  rivers,  which  were  formerly  renowned  for  the 
large  quantity  of  salmon  found  in  them,  are  not  now  so  well 
stocked  with  this  fish,  owing  to  an  indiscriminate  fishing  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  and  to  the  want  of  proper  laws  for  its  preser- 
vation. 

Many  persons  will  perhaps  be  tempted  to  ask  how  it  is  that 
within  the  last  ten  years,  in  spite  of  the  judicious  regulations  lim- 
iting the  salmon-fishing  to  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  and  pre- 
•^c  -  :.j4  the  size,  kind,  and  number  of  fishing  implements  that  may 
li  :  i.icd  •  :n  spite  of  the  Government's  endeavors  to  replenish  our 
I  ^"As  und  though  we  are  spending  thousands  of  dollars,  every 
yeai.  L^:;lp  the  natural  propagation  by  artificial  breeding;  in 
presence  ot  the  fact  that,  from  twelve  or  thirteen  fish-breeding 
establishments  under  the  control  of  the  Government,  millions  of 
young  fish  are  yearly  distributed  in  many  of  our  rivers, — yet  there 
is  no  marked  increase  in  the  annual  catch,  but  rather  a  tendency  to 


FRESH-  WA  FER  FISHERIES— SA  LMDS . 


29 


a   gradual    decrease.     My   own   opinion    is   that  more  protection 
should   be    given.     More   and   better-paid    guardians   should    be 
appointed,  and  we  should  try  to  stop  the  destructive  work  of  the 
numerous  marauders  who,  every  fall,  enter  our  l^est  rivers,  and  kill 
thousands  of  salmon  on  their  spawning  beds.     I  am  of  opinion  too, 
that  the   present   fly-fishing  season   is   too   long.     Though   I   have 
heard  the  Superintendent  of  our   fish-breeding  establishments  say 
that  fly-fishing  was  in  reality  helping  the  propagation  of  the  salmon; 
and  although  I  have  the  greatest  respect  for  the  scientific  and  i)rac- 
tical  knowledge  of  this  gentleman,  I  firmly  believe  that  if  the  angler 
■was  obliged  to  put  up  his  lines  on  the  same  day  that  the  salmon 
fisherman  is  forced  by  law  to  raise  his  nets  and  leave  a  free  i)assage 
to  this  fish,  great  benefits  would  be  derived  from  such  regulations. 
Those  who  live  by  salmon-fishing,  and  who  furnish  to  our  export 
trade  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  this  fish,  are   obliged  by   law  to 
take    away  their  nets  at  a  given  time, — at  the  end  of  July  in  the 
Province    of    Quebec,    and  later   in   New  Brunswick  and    Nova 
Scotia, — while  the  angler,  who  has  no  other  object  in  view  than 
sport  and  pastime,  is  allowed  to  fish  till  September  ist,  and  even 
till  October  15th,     This  certainly  appears  to  be  an  anomaly.     The 
salmon,  which  have  succeeded  in  avoiding  the  nets  at  or  near  the 
mouths  of  the  rivers,  and  go  up  them  to  reproduce  their  species, 
fall    a    victim   to  the   skill  of  the   angler.     Hundreds  of  salmon, 
which  would  have  reproduced  thousands  of  others,   are  destroyed 
every   year   in   this    manner.      I  have   heard   many   exper'enced 
gentlemen  express  the  opinion  that,    if    greater   protection    were 
given  to  the  salmon  fishery,  we  should  not  be  obliged  to  make  ex- 
treme and  costly  endeavors  to  arrest  its  decline, — endeavors,  the 
practical  results  of  which  are  yet  far  from  being  well  ascertained. 

I  should  not  like,  however,  to  convey  the  idea,  that  our  salmon 
fishery  is  exhausted.  Far  from  it.  It  has  somewhat  decreased  in 
abundance,  compared  with  what  it  was  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago, 
but  it  has  still  considerable  importance,  as  will  be  shown  by  sta- 
tistics, and  is  a  source  of  wealth  to  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Dominion,  besides  affording  splendid  sport  to  a  number  of  wealthy 
gentlemen  from  Europe  and  America,  who  visit  our  rivers  every 
summer  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  salmon  fly-fishing.  In  1882, 
Canada  supplied  the  foreign  market  with  $3,000,000  worth  of  fish, 
either  fresh,  canned  or  pickled.     The  United  States  take  most  of 


30 


THE  FISJlEIilES  OF  CANADA. 


our  fresh  salmon,  and  Great  Britain  the  largest  proportion  of  the 
fish  preserved  in  tins.  Pickled  salmon  goes  mostly  to  the  United 
States.  Attempts  have  already  been  successfully  made  to  send 
fresh  salmon  from  Canada  to  England,  and  I  have  no  doubt  a 
greater  ([uantity  of  it  will  now  be  sent  over  every  year.  And, 
before  many  years  have  elapsed,  when  means  of  transit  will  exist 
between  our  cities  of  the  interior  and  the  fishing  coasts,  the  fresh 
salmon  trade  will  attain  proportions  hitherto  unknown. 

British  Columbia,  of  all  the  Provinces  of  the  Dominion,  is  the 
most  celebrated  for  its  salmon  fishery,  and,  within  a  few  years,  this 
industry  has  attained  almost  colossal  proportions.  The  catch 
which,  in  1879,  was  only  3,000,000  lbs.,  had  in  1882  risen  to 
12,000,000  lbs.,  showing  an  increase  of  nine  millions  in  three  years. 
"And  yet,"  says  Mr.  Anderson,  Inspector  of  Fisheries  for  British 
Columbia,  "the  canneries  of  this  Province,  notwithstanding  the 
abundance  of  fish,  could  not  be  worked  up  to  their  full  capacity, 
owing  to  the  deficiency  of  labour  arising  from  the  increased  demand 
for  railways  and  other  purposes."  I  find  in  the  last  statistics  which 
we  have  on  this  subject,  that  15,220,000  lbs.  of  salmon  were  taken 
out  of  Canadian  waters  in  1882.  Calculating  every  fish  taken  at 
an  average  weight  of  fifteen  pounds,  this  will  give  us  1,014,600 
salmon  caught  that  year,  and  the  statistics  for  1883  will  certainly 
show  an  increase  on  the  above  figures. 

Let  us  hope  that  the  British  Columbia  fishermen  will  be  wise 
enough  to  economize,  by  a  judicious  fishing,  the  source  of  wealth 
they  have  in  their  salmon,  rather  than  be  obliged,  later  on,  to  try  to 
restore  it  from  exhaustion.  The  idea  is  suggested  by  the  fact  that 
the  question  of  establishing  a  salmon  hatchery  on  the  waters  of  the 
Fraser  River,  one  of  the  best  salmon  rivers  of  the  Province,  is 
already  agitated.  The  capital  invested  in  the  salmon  fishery  of 
Columbia  River  in  1882,  as  given  by  the  trade  report,  is  estimated 
at  over  $2,000,000,  and  employment  was  gi^pn  lo  more  than  7,000 
men;  while  Mr.  A.  C.  Anderson  writes  that,  "in  addition  to  the 
quantity  of  salmon  canned  for  exportation  during  the  past  year  in 
British  Columbia,  a  little  over  5,000  barrels  of  salted  salmon  have 
also  been  packed  in  pickle.  The  demand  for  the  fish  so  cured 
appears  to  be  rapidly  increasing;  and  there  can  be  little  question 
that,  with  due  care  in  the  preparation,  the  barreled  salmon  of  this 
coast  will  soon  attain  a  world-wide  reputation.     In  this  branch  of 


TliOUT,   UJIITE-FJSJi,  ETC. 


»i 


industry  less  capital  is  required  than  in  the  i)rosecution  of  the 
canning  business,  and  a  broad  field  is  thus  opened  for  the  indus- 
trious fishermen  of  moderate  means.  *  *  *  Everything  indicates  the 
expansion  of  the  British  Columbia  fishing  interest,  the  great  value 
of  which  is  gradually  being  recognized.  The  rapid  advance  of  the 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway  warrants  the  assumption  that,  ere  long, 
direct  communications  with  the  Eastern  rrovinces  will  be  available, 
and  it  is  easy  to  conceive,  at  least  partially,  the  impetus  which 
this  much-desired  communication  will  give  to  all  the  industries  of 
the  Pacific  coasts."     (Report  of  1882.) 

XII.  Trout,  White-fish,  etc. 

Trout  of  all  kinds  abound  in  every  Canadian  river,  and  the  best 
are  the  sea  trout  and  the  salmon  trout.  White-fish  and  trout 
fisheries  are  carried  on  on  a  large  scale,  chiefly  on  the  lakes  of 
Ontario.  The  area  covered  by  Lake  Superior  alone  is  thirt>-one 
thousand  s([uare  miles,  and  Lakes  Erie,  Huron  and  Ontario  form, 
when  put  together,  an  expanse  of  fifty-two  thousand  S([uare  miles. 
Many  rivers  emi)ty  their  waters  into  these  inland  seas,  and  these 
rivers,  as  well  as  the  lakes  themselves,  are  full  of  different  kinds  of 
food  fishes,  the  delicacy  and  flavor  of  which  are  well  known. 
The  Ontario  fisherman  has  the  salmon  trout,  weighing  as  tnuch  as 
eighty  pounds,  and  the  white-fish,  the  llavor  of  which  is  considered 
equal  to  that  of  the  salmon.  The  sturgeon,  the  pickerel,  the  pike, 
the  bass,  the  perch,  etc.,  form  other  varieties  of  fishes  found  in 
Ontario. 

The  fishermen  of  our  Canadian  I^akes  use  gill-nets  and  trap- 
nets,  and  their  vessels  are  either  sailing  boats  of  from  twenty  to 
thirty  feet  in  length,  or  small  steamers  called  "fishing  tugs." 
Two  models  of  these  small  steamers  were  much  admired  last  year 
at  the  London  Fisheries  Exhibition.  Those  fishing  tugs  are  gener- 
ally fifty  feet  long  and  have  twelve  feet  beam.  They  are  the 
property  of  fish  merchants,  who  hire  men  to  fish  for  them  on  wages, 
without  any  share  in  the  profits  of  ihe  industry.  Sometimes  they 
will  receive  a  bonus  from  the  proprietor  in  cases  ot  sr.ccessful 
catches.  The  great  advantage  of  those  tugs  over  the  sailing  boats 
is  easily.seen.  While  some  of  the  men  on  board  are  busy  taking  in 
the  nets  set  the  day  previous,  the  others  are  engaged  in  setting  out 
clean  nets.     These  two  operations  finished,  the  tug  hastens  to  the 


32 


THi:  riSHKlilES  OF  CANADA. 


nearest  railway  station,  and  the  fish  just  caugh'  is  immediately 
sent  by  the  cars,  in  refrigerators,  to  the  Canadian  and  American 
cities.  Besides,  on  calm  days,  or  when  the  wind  is  blowing  too 
hard  to  permit  the  sailing  boats  to  go  out,  the  steamers  can  always 
reach  the  fishing  grounds.  The  amount  of  white-fish,  trout,  etc., 
taken  from  the  lakes  and  sent  fresh  to  the  market  in  1882,  amounted 
to  4,500,000  lbs.  But,  besides  this,  there  were  salted,  of  white  fish, 
5,079  barrels  ;  of  trout,  9,758  barrels  ;  of  sturgeon,  bass,  pike, 
maskinonge  and  other  kinds,  41,360  barrels  ;  Total,  56,197  barrels. 
If  this  suin  be  multiplied  by  200,  the  number  of  pounds  in  each 
barrel,  we  get  a  product  of  11,239,400  lbs.,  which  added  to  the  four 
millions  and  a  half  already  mentioned,  will  give  the  large  amount 
of  15,739,400  lbs.  for  one  year.  As  farmers  chiefly  comi)ose  the 
population  of  Ontario,  and  as,  comi)aratively  speaking,  very  little 
capital  is  invested  in  lake  fisheries,  we  are  safe  in  asserting  that  the 
amount  of  fish  now  caught  could  be  doubled  or  even  trebled,  if  a 
larger  number  of  men  were  employed  in  the  development  of  this 
industry.  Besides  this  produce  of  the  fresh-water  fisheries  in  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  we  have  other  fisheries  in  the  Maritime  Prov- 
inces, such  as  the  Smelt  fisheries  which,  during  the  winter  months, 
employ  many  hundred  men  and  produce  annually  $200,000.  The 
annual  yield  of  the  Alewife  fishery  is  $185,000  ;  of  the  Shad  fishery, 
$105,000  ;  of  the  Eel  fishery,  $80,000  ;  of  the  Winnonish  fishery, 
$15,000;  of  the  Sardine  fishery,  $175,000,  besides  others.  I  may 
add,  however,  that  the  fresh-water  fishes  of  the  Dominion,  though 
sold  generally  at  a  low  figure,  produced  according  to  our  last  sta- 
tistics, the  sum  of  $4,000,000. 

The  ease  with  which  fish  is  attainable  all  through  Canada  has 
proved  a  special  inducement  to  the  poor  of  other  countries  to 
emigrate  to  our  shores.  They  may  be  sure,  to  begin  with,  of  hav- 
ing, at  no  expense  except  the  trouble  of  fishing  for  it,  a  substantial 
and  wholesome  article  of  diet.  This,  with  the  possession  of  a  farm 
sold  by  Government  at  a  merely  nominal  price,  with  sobriety  and 
economy,  is  sure  to  lead  them  within  a  few  years  to  comfort  and 
prosperity. 

Conclusion. 

I  cannot  better  end  this  essay  than  by  quoting  some  remarks  by 
P.  L.  Simmons  in  his  *'  Commercial  Products  of  the  Sea  :"  "  The 
commercial  products  obtained  from  the  sea,"  he  writes,  "are  more 


CONCLUSION. 


33 


numerous  and  important  than  would  l)e  generally  supposed  by 
those  who  have  not  looked  closely  into  the  matter.  To  a  great 
part  of  the  civilized  world  the  taking  of  the  cod,  the  herring,  the 
salmon,  the  mackerel,  the  sardine,  the  seal  and  the  other  fishes,  is  of 
great  value,  and  gives  emi)loyment  to  hundrr'ds  of  thousands  of  per- 
sons. The  oil  obtained  from  the  seal,  cod,  shark,  etc.,  is  used  for 
lamps,  medicine,  and  in  industry.  Many  parts  of  fish  are  employed 
in  the  arts  and  manufactures, — as  the  scales  of  the  bleak  for  mak- 
ing false  pearls,  and  those  of  other  fish  for  making  ornaments  ;  the 
skins  of  the  seals  and  the  i)orpoises  for  tanning  purposes.  Isin- 
glass is  obtained  from  the  air  or  swimming  bladders  of  many. 
Fish  roes  are  not  only  used  as  (ish  delicacies,  but  also  for  bait  in 
some  fishing  grounds,  and  excellent  guano  is  made  from  the  offal 
and  the  bones  of  fish.  7'Ae  sea  is  more  abundantly  stocked  with 
living  creatures  tlian  the  land.  In  all  parts  of  the  world  a  rocky 
and  partially  protected  shore,  perhaps  supports,  in  a  given  sjjace,  a 
greater  number  of  individual  animals  than  any  other  station.  The 
sea  is  filled  with  animals  of  se/eral  kinds,  and  each  layer  of 
water  in  depth,  seems  to  have  its  own  varieties,  thus  resembling  the 
changes  which  take  place,  according  to  elevation^  in  the  organized 
l)ortions  of  the  land.  The  animals  are  among  the  mightiest  and 
among  the  smallest.  There  are  swimming  beasts,  as  whales,  seals 
and  walruses.  There  are  fishes  of  various  kinds  and  sizes,  crusta- 
ceous,  soft  or  jelly  fi>>hes,  the  molluscs,  down  to  ihose  creatures 
resembling  live  plants.  All  these  are  peculiar  to  the  sea  or  the 
fresh  waters  ;  and  the  ocean  has  its  marine  plants, — sea  weeds, 
which  remain  growing  on  the  ground  shoal  or  lise  to  the  surface 
and  then  float.  These,  too,  have  many  useful  or  economical  appli- 
cations." 

The  harvest  of  the  sea  has  not  yet  been  attended  to  and  garnered 
to  the  same  extent  as  that  of  the  land  Some  nations,  such  as  the 
Chinese,  have,  it  is  true,  long  given  close  attention  to  the  profitable 
utilization  of  its  commercial  products  ;  and  several  European  na- 
tions and  the  Americans  have  also  prosecuted  certain  fisheries,  but 
systematic  and  scientific  arrangement  has  only  of  late  years  been 
specially  directed  to  the  various  branches  which  have  been  termed 
pisciculture,  acquiculture  and  ostreiculture,  and  the  transfer  of  the 
fishes  of  one  locality  to  another  district.  By  all  civilized  and  com- 
mercial nations,  especially  the  Dutch,  the  English,  the  Norwegian, 


84 


THE  FISHER  IKS  OF  ('AyAI).i. 


ihe  French,  and  the  American,  the  jjroducts  of  the  sea  have  been 
accounted  fully  as  important  as  those  of  the  land. 

The  fishery  question  is  therefore  of  urgent  c:onsequence  io  the 
people  gent  rally,  and  any  information  ought  to  be  welcome  which 
increases  our  knowledge  of  the  fishing  grounds  within  our  reach  ; 
for  the  fisheries  are  not  only  of  iinportanc  e  to  us  in  conseiiuence 
of  the  vast  amount  of  wealth  that  (an  be  drawn  from  the  deep,  ap- 
parently without  diminishing  or  exhausting  its  source,  but  because, 
by  this  means  a  body  of  able  a.ul  hardy  seamen  may  be  found  to 
conduct  the  commerce  of  a  maritime  country  during  peace,  and  to 
become  its  gallant  defenders  on  the  ocean  in  time  of  war.  1  sin- 
cerely hope,  that  both  our  public  men  and  our  capitalists  will  give 
their  attention  to  this  very  important  question,  and  will  do  their 
utmost  to  develop  fu-ther  this  inexhaustible  source  of  national 
wealth  and  greatness. 


v< 


